Think you could set your own broken bone? That’s what some of the millions of uninsured people in America end up doing when they need medical care.
insurance
Four Unexpected Situations Where Bad Credit Hurts
By 2.15.09
If you aren’t planning on getting a big loan in the next couple of years, you probably shouldn’t be worried about your credit score right? Wrong.
Aetna Underpaid Students, Settles For $5 Million
By 2.9.09
If you’re a student and think Aetna underpaid the reimbursement for your out-of-network care, you may have some money coming to you. The insurer has settled for $5 million plus interest and penalties.
By 2.5.09
../../../..//2009/02/05/you-can-now-get-unemployment/
You can now get unemployment insurance for your vacation. How depressing. [MSNBC]
Aetna Fires You From Your Job Without Your Company's Permission
By 1.24.09
Richard O’Connor, the Vice President of Marketing for Aetna, might want to rethink how his department handles its customer retention program in this economy, particularly when it comes to telling people that they’re still valued even though they’ve been let go. Chris received just such a letter today, and now the VP of his company’s HR department is trying to figure out why Aetna fired Chris.
What Happens To The Baggage After A Plane Crash?
By 1.16.09
Though it probably couldn’t be farther from their minds, at some point after many hugs and hot chocolates, the passengers of U.S. Airways flight 1549 are going to wonder what happens next to their baggage.
When Buying Travel Insurance, Find Out What's Covered First
By 1.13.09
Richard is angry. He paid good money for travel insurance when he purchased tickets to Italy, and when he ended up having to work over vacation he canceled the trip and filed a claim. Access America denied it because being required to work during a trip isn’t covered by Richard’s benefit plan.
AARP-Endorsed Insurance May Not Be So Cheap After All
By 1.6.09
A Bloomberg investigation found that some insurance policies with the AARP stamp of approval actually cost senior citizens more, and part of that money is getting kicked back to AARP in the form of “royalties” and “fees.” Essentially, the AARP is taking a cut of your premium before passing it on to the insurer. These payments have gone from 11% of AARP’s revenue in 1999, to 43% in 2007. One man found he was paying twice the average for his car insurance. When walked into the the group’s brass and marbled headquarters, flashing his 20-year AARP card, to find out where his money was going, he was told the AARP doesn’t give tours.
Family Of Daughter Who Died After Cigna Denied Her A Liver Transplant Files Lawsuit
By 12.27.08
Remember last December when Cigna delayed approval of a liver transplant for a leukemia patient and she died? The girl’s family has filed a lawsuit against the insurance giant.
Progressive Has No Notion of Christmas Spirit, Announces Yule-tide Rate Increase
By 12.26.08
According to an Email received by reader Jessica, Progressive Auto Insurance is increasing rates for New York Customers by nearly 20%. And the best time to announce this? Christmas day, of course!
To Avoid Paying $25 Million, Insurance Co Claims Smoke Killing 3 In Fire Was "Pollution"
By 12.18.08
An insurance company with a potential $25 million liability from a 2007 Houston office fire is claiming smoke that killed three people was “pollution” and surviving families shouldn’t be compensated for their losses…
Flagstar Bank: Give Me My Money, My Roof Has A Hole
By 12.12.08
Hurricane Ike left Mike’s with a hole in his roof. He needs Flagstar Bank’s holding onto his insurance company check like a hole in his head.
The Recession Spares Nothing, Not Even Puppies
By 12.12.08
Ever feel like the poor state of the economy is impacting every area of life? Well, it is! A few examples popping up in some surprising places, like animal shelters…
AIG To Give Executives "Retention Payments" Instead Of "Bonuses"
By 12.11.08
CBSNews says that AIG will be suspending “bonuses” for executives and will instead replace them with “retention payments.” We’re not entire sure what the difference is and the government doesn’t know either.
EECB Convinces Best Buy To Pay For Damage To Car
By 11.20.08
Here’s a good example of how to write an effective Executive Email Carpet Bomb, or EECB, to break through the “please hold” purgatory of the company’s phone system. Alicia’s car’s bumper was scratched by a Best Buy employee, and calling consumer relations as directed proved fruitless. Now she’s got a check in her hands from Best Buy to pay for the repairs.
AIG's CEO Issues Statement About $343,000 Phoenix Seminar
By 11.12.08
Bothered by news reports about another high-priced junket, AIG’s CEO Edward M. Liddy issued a public statement to correct the innacuracies he saw. AIG Media Relations emailed it to us and wanted to make sure we shared it with our readers, and since we’re all about sharing at The Consumerist, here it is:
AIG Spends $343,000 On Secret Seminar
By 11.11.08
AIG is hurting so bad that we just gave them another $40 billion, while execs live it up at another luxury junket, this one costing $343,000. KNVX uncovered another high-priced conference taking place at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, AZ. They reported that AIG made efforts to disguise its presence, making sure no AIG iconography was out in the open. One hotel employee said that staff was forbidden from even saying the word AIG. AIG said seminars like this, which was for independent financial advisers who steer customers to AIG, are essential to its business. They also said that most of the seminar’s costs would be picked up by other corporate sponsors. AIG said in a statement, “We take very seriously our commitment to aggressively manage meeting costs.”
